Flat tummies possible on McDougall?

[Malva]

Mayflower asked: How can you be McDougalling and be 40 pounds overweight? People always lose weight doing his plan.

Not I.
When I ate according to the Regular McDougall Plan, I gained weight, especially when I ate foods like: McDougall legal processed foods, dried fruit, bread, peanut butter, and avacados. I also had those "occassional" feast days that McDougall said is OK.

I have a job that has me sitting down most of the day. I used to just come home from the office and after dinner I'd sit in front of the TV until bedtime.

I had to learn to eat according to my lifestyle. Which meant fewer calories. And I had to up my metabolism, which meant regular exercise (not just an occassional walk on the weekends). I had to admit that "feast days" were just an excuse to cheat on myself and my health.
There's nothing wrong with my thyroid. I have no health problems other than rosasea and sluggish intestinal tract. When I changed my food to "calorie dilute" foods, THAT's when my weight came down and stays down without starving myself. I never go hungry eating what I do, and a meal (even though "watery" by some people's estimation) keeps me full and satisfied until the next meal so that I don't need to snack. (I go from 5 to 8 hours between meals.) When I go on long walks, I rarely get hungry. I can take a long walk (10 miles) in the morning and not feel hungry until dinner.

I learned that it's not HOW you eat (little bites, small plates, frequent small meals, chew 100 times) but WHAT you eat that determines if you lose weight and stay healthy. And it was MWL that did (does) it for me.

It's just a hard program to adhere to if your not determined to stick with it (without cheating) for a long time. It took me 20 months on strict MWL to lose the 40 lbs, and I've stayed on the same food regimine to keep it off. It is just normal for me to eat this way now, and if I eat anything heavy (even though Regular McDougall Program OK) my body doesn't like it.

[rcbinmichigan]

I have never done ab machines, and do few crunches as they are not an effective core exercise at all. I do a lot of plank and balance work, that work the core in an elongated form, so I don't get the bunched-up muscularity that crunches etc. develop.

Running/endurance aerobics and weightlifting impact different people differently; there are a lot of people who are heavier with running lots of miles, and lose the extra fat when they cut mileage and add resistant work--even heavy lifting. I bulk up with heavy lifting, so I lift for endurance.

I have a friend who I turned on to McDougling years ago, and she's still obese. She went on a McDougal trip and showed us pictures and pointed out participants who've been mcdougalling for a long time, and most were heavy. His diet is not a one-size-fit-all, but I am a vegan who was getting fatter, discovered his website and by eliminating flour products and added oil, I lost most of the excess fat. There are people out there who say they've tried veganism and can't do it, their bodies need fat and animal food; I may mostly disbelieve them, but if they look good and are in great health (even leaner than I, with abs showing), I have no stance to debate with them.

Have a safe and warm holiday weekend, whatever you celebrate!

[VeganMan]

I haven't been here for a while and was suprised to see this thread still thriving on the first page!!!

I've been trainging for triathlons for the last 2.5months, swimming/biking/running, weights and yoga.

Still have a layer over the abs, but you can feel them under there!! I'm confident by the end of the summer I'll be walking around the house without a shirt on!!

Hope you all are doing well.

[rcbinmichigan]

Does anyone count calories, or measure portions? Measure ratios of starch carbs to non-starchy carbs?

Since our dog did all this damage to our house, and all of the work we've had to do and the financial and emotional impact, I eat nuts and raisins when I get home from work while fixing dinner. I tell myself I enjoy this snack and I'm not going to see food as my enemy, and it may be helping my body resist letting go of the abdominal pooch I'd otherwise like to get rid of. I'll think about "buckling down" once the house is refinanced, the immediate work completed, and it's warmer outside.

On the side, I recognize I'm not forgiving my dog, poor neurotic dear, and I would like to. But I get home so exhausted (emotionally, I'm sure) and I have low patience for her anxiety. I used to so enjoy getting out my bike and going out on the dirt road with her in the evening--and between the lingering chill, the work we have to do to repair the damage, and my feelings for her--we're not getting out. It's not just the house that's been damaged--it's our relationship. And only I can reshape that.

[VeganMan]

Does anyone count calories, or measure portions? Measure ratios of starch carbs to non-starchy carbs?

Haven't done this for a while. I probably need to do it for a week or two to make sure I have some balance. I just eat all the time now that I'm Tri-training and have seen the fat come off and the muscle put on.

[Birdy]

I'm wondering if you may be sensitive to high glycemic foods, such as potatoes and flour products. I tend to store fat in my middle and am also post-menopausal which definitely adds to the tendency to middle-aged spread. Supposedly, those of us who are "apples" (rather than "pears" who carry more weight on their buttocks and thighs), are insulin sensitive. Eating only fresh whole fruits rather than dried fruit or fruit juices, and eliminating high glycemic foods like potatoes and flour foods and sugars may be helpful. Also, increasing beans and adding tofu to your diet might help because of the added protein.

[rcbinmichigan]

Yeah, cereal grains (oats, barley, rye) have become less digestible in the past several months--I now cook them thoroughly in a crock pot, where I used to just heat them up quickly in the microwave and let them sit and cook.

My dietitian suggested I eat less starches, less potatoes and grains, and more beans. So I've been rotating red and golden potatoes with rice, winter squash, and sweet potatoes, and eating beans at lunch and dinner. I do still have the well-cooked breakfast grains, which haven't been bothering me since I've done the intense cooking. What satisfying meal does one eat for breakfast if not breakfast grains? (Flours have long been out since I discovered McDougall in 2000).

[hope101]

I love brown basmati rice for breakfast with some soy milk and fruit. Or you could substitute quinoa for the same idea.